Tsubasa RESERVoir Chronicles Remake 2
by Pokepika's Haunt
Summary: Yuuko is desperate to find something to turn the tide of fate and hopefully stop Fei Wang Reed's plans from coming to fruition. And she finds an answer in the most unexpected of places... Warnings and more inside...
1. Chapter 1

A/N. And here's the remake because I have issues and I'm pretty sure we all know it… Don't be mad at me please! Originally supposed to be a self-insert, but I don't know what you call taking some character basically made up and placed in an alternate version of the real world and then finding some way to drop them into the world of one of your favorite mangas/animes. Any ideas?

Summary: Yuuko is desperate to find something to turn the tide of fate and hopefully stop Fei Wang Reed's plans from coming to fruition. Running out of options, she decides to do something drastic, and grant the wish of a being from another universe entirely. But there's a price to pay for everything, and even Yuuko can't change that, Can this newcomer from a world where the events to come are nothing but fiction truly help after paying what could only be the ultimate price? Or Fei succeed after all?

**Warning! OC? I like how I'm not entirely sure on that...**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except the OC/Self-insertion!**

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><p><strong>Ch. 1: A Wish Made...<strong>

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><p>Winds blew tossing pure white hair as well as further coating the shortened, near bone straight hair in snow. It was winter, sometime in late December, and as brown furred boots crunched through what had to be three inches of nothing but snow and slush, some vague cuss word or rather lame substitution for one left near frostbitten lips, or at least what felt like frostbitten. She couldn't really tell, didn't really care to make much of an assessment of such, and definitely wasn't in the mood to even think about such things at the moment. It was too cold, enough for snow to be on the ground, though that wasn't even the part she minded.<p>

Snow meant a day or two off from school, extra relaxation and another precious 24 hours or so away from all her other schoolmates. It was the fact that it was winter and it was cold, though her mood wouldn't have been any better had it been the middle of summer with temperatures reaching anywhere from 60 to 90. She wasn't much one for being outside, but regardless of the weather she still had to go to school, and unfortunately three inches of snow was not nearly enough in her school district's books to call the day off quite yet. Which meant she had to ride the bus, though it wasn't so bad so long as she had headphones blaring music into her ear at full blast to ward off anyone who might be bored enough just sitting there talking with their friends that it necessitated bothering her.

'_Stupid snow and stupid school…' _She growled inwardly, another gust of wind blowing her hair into her face as she finally made it to the bus stop. There was nobody there, and a quick glance at the near blinding screen of her cellphone showed that she was, in her morning daze and haphazard rush to not miss the bus, an hour early. _'No wonder Dad was looking at me crazy when I left…' _It had seemed that she had made the mistake of rushing out without checking the clock first, but she was already under the shelter, however little protection it actually gave from the biting cold of winter and she was a little too cold right now to even think of braving the trip back home to wait another thirty before doing it all over again. If she hadn't been so afraid of her parents' wrath, she would've swore and cussed till she was blue in the face, or more blue that she probably was. But she was, so instead she settled for swearing herself blue in her mind.

"Oh well…" She sighed aloud, it not being likely that anyone would hear her, since nobody was there in the first place. "Crap…" She hissed immediately as the wind blew, carrying snow under the shelter and only making her tremble harder from the increasing drop in temperatures. "Ok, that's it…" She called out, lifting up a hand from the warmer confines of her jacket pocket, before rolling back a long, black sleeve to reveal naturally tan skin. She glared at the palm of her hand for a split second, before blinking and huffing, shoving it back into the pocket when she decided that exposing anymore of herself to the cold didn't justify what she had been about to do. Instead she shifted a little, shrugging the hefty backpack she'd been lugging up the hill behind her off and dropping it onto the dry concrete before unceremoniously plopping down onto a wooden bench and curling in on herself in hopes of retaining more warmth.

She shifted a hand within one pocket, quickly relocating her phone before bringing it out to shuffle through some of the music downloaded onto it and picking a song. Turning up the volume, she waited a few beats, head rocking and forth to the music before switching it again to something else. Deciding that the new song was okay for now, she shoved her phone into her pocket and reached down to drag her backpack closer. She unzipped it, and shuffling through the jumbled mess that was some sort of mixture between haphazardly stuffed homework and month old, crumpled classwork she pulled out a book she'd brought from home. A series she'd gotten into in what had probably been sixth grade. She wasn't entirely sure, but she had discovered it in the local bookstore her parents now had a habit of leaving her inside of for hours before finally coming to pick her up. She'd read her own fair pile of books, always finding something new to read, and if not, there was always one of her favorites to go back and re-read. One in particular that she liked was Tsubasa RESERVoir Chronicles, a bit of a crossover using various characters from various works by the authors.

The ending had been very confusing. And while she hadn't completely understood what was going on, after a couple of times reading it all again, she'd finally been able to make sense of it all. It was a good series, for certain, one of her favorites and very memorable in her own opinion. The characters were interesting, and there was magic in it, though that wasn't anything particularly fantastic or special. After all, almost everybody in this world used magic or some kind. It could be rather unique, since those that could varied greatly amongst each other when it came to their respective skills.

There were spells of sorts that were commonly used by everyone, and since it wasn't such a rarity as it had been in the past, depending on whether or not one could use it, certain other classes were required in replacement for what those without would typically take. Normally you couldn't tell until after elementary school though, usually when the child in question hit their teens, though there were a few early bloomers. They were by no means talented or even geniuses, but they exhibited power quicker than most, and as such they had to be carefully watched otherwise they could've lost control. Small children with potentially dangerous powers never spelled a happy ending when one was having a temper tantrum and couldn't control their gifts.

Quickly checking the time again, she realized had a little over forty minutes, before anyone would actually start showing up at the bus stop, so she quickly hunkered down and started reading. The story itself never got boring, though she probably would have it completely memorized given another read or two. She couldn't help but wonder what would happen though, if something changed. Anything really, it didn't matter to her. The ending had been kind of sad, and half way through everything had taken an unexpected and disastrous turn for the main characters. She'd felt bad for them, and kind of wished she could've helped.

But that was silly, really. They weren't real, just figments of someone else's imagination.

'_Still… I… I would like to see it all for myself… I mean… I'm no good at fighting, I'm not aggressive like Kurogane or determined like Syaoran, and I'm not like Fai who at least has experience. I'm no soldier, I'd probably just get in the way…' _She sighed, heart feeling unusually heavy with something that wasn't guilt or sadness. _'But still… I wish I could travel with them… It couldn't hurt right?' _"Whatever, it's just a stupid wish anyways. Wishes don't come true…" She barked, suddenly disinterested in the book.

Her phone vibrated in her pocket suddenly, pulling her attention away from putting the book back into the pouch she'd pulled it out of, as she quickly zipped it up and pulled out her phone.

"Yeah?"

"_Hey Sweetie, your father told me you left really early this morning, are you okay?"_

"Yes Mom, I'm fine. Why?"

"_Well, did you check the school website?"_

"Yes, before I went to bed last night… Why?"

"_Because they canceled school…"_

"What?!" the news came unexpectedly, and she felt the sudden urge to smack herself. How could she not check before she left? She hadn't been that tired had she?

"_Yep. Do you want me to come and get you from the bus stop? You must be cold." _Sighing, disgruntled and completely in a bad mood now, she finally answered.

"No Mom, it's fine… I'll be back soon."

"_Ok… Love you…"_

"Love you too, bye." She called, hanging up the phone with a click before shoving it back into her pocket with a huff. Zipping up her backpack after making sure the book was secured, she was about to heave it over her shoulder when she felt a sudden, sharp pain. "Agh…"

_A wish…_

"What?..." She whispered in shock, hand braced against her forehead as pale blue eyes widened in confusion. _'I could've just sworn that I…!'_

_A wish…_

"Hello?" she called out, visibly confused and more than a little terrified. There hadn't been anybody in the area with her when she'd arrived, had somebody shown up while she was talking with her mother?

She waited a few moments, silent to see if the voice would speak again, but there was nothing and she felt herself rolling her eyes. _'Great… Now I'm hearing things… Well send me off to looney bin now! Welcome to Crazy Town, population: Me!' _She joked humorlessly to herself. She would've laughed if some part of her wasn't still completely terrified.

_You made a wish…_

"Again?!" Whatever, whoever the voice was, cut her off before she could continue, the pain that had struck her before coming back tenfold to further keep her silent.

_I have heard it… Now come!_

"Come? Wait-What the-!" She gasped in horror, suddenly losing her footing as the ground seemed to shoot up around her, black and almost liquid in structure. "Oh no-!"

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><p>The wind blew as the snow began to fall gently to the ground once again, a lone backpack left discarded and forgotten on the concrete…<p>

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><p>AN. Uh… Be careful what you wish for? … Heheh… Um yeah, so I hope you guys enjoyed the first chapter of the newest remake! I hope you all are having a nice night/day. Please leave a review and see ya!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N. And here's the second chapter. In case of those of you who were wondering, I changed Yūtoku's name because I'm trying to keep her from turning into a Mary Sue or something like that.

**Disclaimer! I own nothing but my OC.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 2: A Price To Pay<strong>

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><p>She woke up to wet grass, a soaked through jacket, and dirty, horribly tangled hair she'd never get clean in just one or two washes. Messy hair aside though, it was the least of her worries and she'd never been one to particularly care about her appearance anyways. She'd never be able to please anyone in school and she was fairly certain that save for a few friends that might as well have been family, everyone in the eighth grade hated her. It wasn't like she liked any of them either though, but she hadn't gone out of her way to make anybody feel miserable for the rest of the day.<p>

It all mattered little in the face of the fact that unless she was dreaming or had lost what little sanity her friends liked to joke she didn't have, she was in a place that wasn't supposed to even exist outside of the black and white pages of a book.

As she stared wide eyed at the building in front of her, hands clenching at the dirt and grass underneath, and undoubtedly shocked with disbelief, a presence gradually made itself known.

"Welcome to my shop." Her expression must've of made for quite the humorous sight, because the newcomer was suddenly laughing at her, an amused chuckle hidden behind an ornate black sleeve and red eyes gleaming with barely hidden mischief. If her brain hadn't been running on slow all of a sudden, she was sure she would've fainted for the first time in her life, and experience she probably wouldn't want to repeat later on.

"You don't exist…" She spit out, stumbling onto her own two feet and pointing at the woman as if she were a ghost. "You're not supposed… I-I must be…" _'I must be dreaming…'_ She did a valiant impression of a dying fish, mouth gaping open and closing sporadically as she tried to breathe through her own shock and keep it together. She was failing miserably, but at the very least she hadn't started hyper ventilating yet. _'And wouldn't that just be great…'_ Her own thoughts were taking a turn for the terribly sarcastic, but she felt that that could be forgiven to some degree considering the situation.

This time the woman before her didn't bother to hide her own laughter politely behind the sleeve of her dress.

"I assure you, that this place is very real, and that you are not dreaming." She spoke easily, as if this were a normal every day thing for her. It probably was, if what the woman said was to be believed and this really wasn't some whacked out dream induced by one too many sugary treats at a quarter to midnight before going to bed. "As you know, my name is Yuuko, a figment of one's imagination in your world, but very much a reality here. And yes, I assure you, this is happening."

"How?" She breathed out, increasingly unsteady on her own two feet. This was all sorts of crazy; she had to finally be losing it. 'Sorry Hana, looks like it's not a joke anymore…'

"You had a wish, and as you know…"

"This shop is a place that is only visible to one who needs its services… But-!" Yuuko held out a hand, a sign for her to not speak any further. She quieted, hands silently wringing out the hem of her overly sized jacket, as she stared pleadingly at the witch to place some semblance of sense into her suddenly very skewed world.

"You made a wish, and that wish brought you here."

"But that would require a price and… I can't see…" The comment came with the dawning realization that everything was blurry. She'd always been a little slow on the uptake when it wasn't particularly pressing a matter, and it wouldn't have been the first time she'd left them at home by accident. She was forgetful if nothing else, and while not entirely spacy, she had tendency to leave things behind when upset or in a rush. It hadn't helped at all that it had always taken her a while to realize that she didn't have them in her possession, it took a bit to register that she couldn't see clearly.

"The price was your glasses I'm afraid, important enough to suffice as a down payment and allow you travel to this place, but to fulfill your wish completely I'll need a lot more..."

"But it was just a thought! Nothing more!"

"And a wish none the less, and one powerful enough to warrant my being able to take action… You're already here, and, besides, for me to send you back, I still need some form of payment…" She felt like cussing up a storm, regardless of what her parents would think of her for it. She hadn't meant it, it had just been a passing thought. A child's fantasy if nothing else, she'd always been a little over imaginative, but to cause this? If she didn't kill herself for it first, her friends and family probably would. But she had no choice in the matter. It was more or less a lose-lose situation.

Either she pay the price needed to fulfill that stupid wish of hers, pay the price needed to go home, or stay trapped in this world with no way out.

She couldn't get herself back home, she wasn't capable of that kind of magic, no one in her world was. It was one thing to teleport from one location to the other, it was an entirely different matter altogether to cross over entire dimensions like that. The rift that lay between various realms was too unstable, and there wasn't a single being in her world with enough power to stabilize it. She was stuck relying on the witch's power, and even she knew she had nothing on her that would be enough to send her home.

"Fuck my life…" she finally spit out, the apparent inevitability resigning her to her fate. "I hate this…"

"It was your wish, the question now is; Will you choose to continue on the path you have unwittingly placed yourself on? Or will you turn back?" If she hadn't known better, she'd swear the witch was accusing her of being a coward. Not that she wasn't. She couldn't fight; the very darkness of her bedroom at night scared her at times and left her undoubtedly nervous. Even she could admit that she'd let her own imagination get the better of her at times, and could be more than a little paranoid in nature. She wasn't a fighter, despite how much her own father was, she hadn't been raised to be particularly aggressive or violent. She was a chicken to the very core of her being, running away, even when laughing her head off as if she'd lost all shred of sanity she might've possessed.

But she'd made her wish, and now had to pay the price for her decisions. She couldn't avoid answering like she normally did, humming and finding something to distract herself with or changing the subject. There was no running away and crawling into her mother's lap for comfort, as she leaned a little too much onto her purposely.

"What is my price?"

"To go home? Not nearly as hefty as the price that would be to travel with them."

"And that price?"

"To interfere in events that have been practically set in stone in your world, and therefor shall happen inevitably here, is heavy and may be more than any one person is willing to pay. If you turn back after hearing it, I cannot judge you if you wish to run. I have no right."

"…" Her silence must've been enough of an answer, because Yuuko's lips quirked into something similar to a smirk, eyes gleaming proud and amused all at the same time.

"Clearly you are not one who is fond of roundabout answers." She sighed, expression suddenly far more serious than it had been, even at the start. "What is your name?" Yuuko asked, a chuckle or snicker hidden somewhere in her voice. She grimaced, not particularly troubled by the question or against answering it altogether. But she was hesitant.

Finally, she gulped down what little courage she had, along with the fear of getting herself into something she was already near neck deep in and answered the woman before her.

"M-Midori…" She stuttered, eyes low and wary as she mentally slapped herself in the face. It wasn't like the witch was yelling at her or anything, she wasn't threatening her either, to a certain extent at least. There was nothing to be afraid of in this situation aside from the inevitable choice she'd have to make between staying trapped in this world and paying the price to leave.

"Well then, Midori, your wish at its most basic, as stated before, is to interfere. You are not part of this story originally, and in your world this is nothing more than a fictitious tale originating from some other being's imagination. We and this world as a whole are not real. The very fact that you are here goes against many rules and laws that govern both worlds." She explained, motioning with her hands at their surroundings. "You've already paid part of the price, and the blow would be lessened of if you wished to return home. But to see the events for yourself, to be a part of their story, frankly, would take quite a bit of yourself to cushion the impact. Far too much for you to be able to pay."

"So then we have to change the wish?"

"Not necessarily. I said your wish was to interfere, and you yourself are an anomaly that must be taken care of in order to keep the balance of this world. Your own memories are a problem all to themselves. You know too much of what is to come." She continued, motioning for the younger to follow her as she took a seat at a nearby table. Midori followed, a hesitance in her step that she couldn't quite shake herself of. "But, that is to say, that there isn't a way to fix this. That way is your price, and why it is so large."

"You haven't even told me what my price is! What is it that it's so supposedly heavy!?"

"Your memories," She finally stated, eyes staring straight through her as if she didn't exist at all. "You do not exist in this world, but to make it so that you do would require your entire soul, and that is something I cannot take as payment. I can however, take what makes you who you are… Tell me, what is a soul and what makes a person who they are in your world?"

"That-…" She started out, slow and stumbling over her own words a little. It was something they taught, not only in magic classes but also in other, non-magical classes to a certain extent. Something a few parents explained to their children at some point, if school didn't get to them first. It was something she'd asked her own parents when curiosity got the better of her and she didn't have internet access, because the most her parents would let her have at her age was a large, clunky computer to do school work on and type up little stories and draw when she got bored. "A soul is the very essence of a being, something they possess at birth and that without, they would be nothing more than an empty shell."

"But…" The witch prodded, knowing that there was more to the explanation she'd been taught by her parents.

"A soul in my world is not what defines a person. Not completely at least. At its basis, all souls are the same. What makes them different, special, unique to the person, is their memories. Without those moments, they are just like every other child yet born into the world."

"Very good," The witch applauded, hands clapping as she leaned back into the elegant chair she sat on, hands dropping into her lap as she cocked her head to the side. "Your memories are what bind you to your world. They are what make you such an anomaly in this world. So if we get rid of your memories, all that will be left is a blank soul with no attachments."

"… So that's why my memories are the price I have to pay…" Without realizing it, Midori's gaze dropped to her hands, expression twisted in thought as she fought the familiar burn of tears back. If she let Yuuko take her memories, if she paid this price, it was clear she wouldn't be herself anymore. She knew that much. She wasn't perfect, even she could admit that. She hated math, and almost anything that had to do with school really, didn't like being pressured, and had a hard time verbally explaining herself and things in general to others. She was stubborn and hardheaded, spaced out far too often, had a bad habit of pacing around her bedroom like she was having an anxiety attack when she wasn't. She hated almost everyone in her class, for one reason or another.

She hated herself.

But she didn't want to change, had begrudged her own father and mother for asking her to change, when in her mind they clearly weren't in any rush to do the same. She might've hated who she was at times, but she also loved herself all the same. Tried her hardest to make herself feel better about the person she saw in the mirror.

If she went through with this, that person would be gone.

There was a chance it wasn't completely permanent, after all, even if she did see this journey through to its end, at some point Yuuko would have to send her back, right? Still wishful thinking even her eyes, but she'd need her memories, and most likely the payment would be her memories of her time spent traveling across the many worlds of this realm. In return, Yuuko would probably give her her old memories back, to reestablish the connection between her and her home world. But would she even want them back when the time came? It was entirely possible after all, for the new her that grew in the absence of the old Midori to never even want to think of becoming that person again.

And that was even if she made it through the journey alive.

So many what-if situations, with so many things that could go wrong in so little a time. Not to mention her family and friends. The people who were probably still waiting for her back in her world, worried sick for the thirteen year old who still hadn't come home, and was currently sitting in the shop of a person who wasn't real and didn't exist.

They'd probably never know. Never realize that she wasn't anywhere in their world and was trapped in another with no way out.

If she went through with this, she wouldn't even remember them. And what did Yuuko even mean by time?

"Midori, you should know that there are parts of your soul even I can't take from you. Your body will remember what your mind may not. Even I can't take something as deeply rooted as your magic. The price is your memories, all of them. Nothing less, and nothing more."

"I'll ... I'll do it."

"Are you sure? Once the price is paid, there's no going back. This is a path you cannot turn back on."

"I- I know. I know that what I'm doing is every conceivable level of stupid..." Midori said, hands tightening into fists in her lap. "But I'm already on the path, might as well see where it takes me." It was crazy, this whole thing was insane, but she'd already taken the first step, and her own curiosity be damned, she'd see it through to the end if only so she wouldn't have to regret it later.

Yuuko smiled then, an air of pride surrounding her for a split second, before it became serious again. She held out a hand, a magic circle appearing beneath them, as a strange, warm feeling overcame the younger of the two.

Her eyes began to feel heavy, head drooping slightly from an unseen weight as darkness crawled across her vision.

"Good night, Midori." The witch's voice echoed through her waning thoughts, images all flashing in quick succession before all she saw was black.

_Good night..._

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><p>AN. And that's the end of chapter 2. It took a little while, and a lot of scrapping and restarting of potential chapters before something finally stuck and seemed good enough. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter and thanks for reading! Please leave a review and see ya!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N. Here's a new chapter! I must have bad memory, cuz I keep forgetting to establish the characters. Of course, than the instant hits when I'm not entirely sure whether or not I should list OC as one of the main characters, even if she is… Oh well, I'll change it if I need to.

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except Midori!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 3: The Beginning!<strong>

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><p>There was something strange in the air, an inescapable shift that left her more than a little irritable, though she did her very best to hide it behind a façade of cool indifference. Normally, she'd be off somewhere in the shop, preparing some sort of audacious means to greeting the young boy who worked for her, if only to get a rise out of him. But these were not normal circumstances, and as much as it displeased her to admit it, there was little she could do to change what was to come. She'd already done all she could to change the path fate had chosen, and then pushed herself further to do something that would alter that man's plans.<p>

It really hadn't mattered, the ends would've justified the means to which she had gotten the desired results, but over time she'd begun to doubt. No matter how desperate she'd been at the time, she had to wonder just how anything could be worth what she'd done. She'd had no right, even if the opportunity had been presented to her practically on a silver platter, the metaphorical bright red bow tied oh so nicely on top. She would regret what she had done for some time to come, had been regretting it since. But she'd cast the die in her own desperation to stop that man from accomplishing his goals, and now all she could do was sit back and watch the coming events unfold. Even she couldn't predict entirely what would happen after the metaphorical monkey wrench she'd all but lobbed haphazardly into the works.

It was too late to change and take back what she'd done, far too late.

"Maru, Moro, wait here for Watanuki, I'll be back soon." She ordered, swiftly turning her gaze from the dark skies above, to the old fashioned walls of her shop. The two cooed and giggled their response, miming each other and dancing about despite the muddy, dreary conditions that assaulted them that day. It was of little consequence to her, they were normally like that and besides, there was something she needed to retrieve before _they _arrived.

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><p>It was a maze, had always been a maze, and it had only grown larger the more items she collected over the passing years. A doll that was valued since childhood, a great magician's glasses, a baby's high chair. The list went on and on, and would continue for some time. They were the payments she had taken for the wishes she had granted, whether fully or not to be determined. But a tour of her storeroom was not what she was here for; no, it was something else entirely.<p>

"Ah… There you are…" She called as she weaved through another narrow gap, eyes finally trained on the sight that lay before her. A chrysalis of sorts, a cocoon, meant to protect what lay dormant inside. It wasn't a spectacular sight by any means, but she'd gone through painstaking measures to keep its contents safe and healthy, the numerous magical circles she'd kept active for years surrounding it. "I wonder if you dreamed at all while in there… I hope they were nice ones if so. Unfortunately, however, I have to interrupt those maybe dreams… It is time." The tall woman shut her eyes, her entire body glowing as a sudden and strange wind kicked up, pulling her clothes this way and that. She ignored it though, for far important matters at hand. _"Awaken…" _She called, watching as the cocoon unraveled before her eyes.

Spider-like threads gave way under the insistent pull of the very same magic that had created it, and before long a child stood before her, nothing more than a wisp of a little girl thirteen years old in appearance. Short, white hair that had once barely brushed against the nape of the child's neck now fell to just below her shoulders and into her face, almost masking her pale blues eyes and tangling severely at the ends. There'd be really no time at all to make the child a little more presentable, but at the very least Yuuko could give her shoes and more appropriate clothing. The dress she was wearing now would not last very long in the events to come, and it was hardly appropriate anyway. The witch was sure that there was something in the shop she'd be able to scrounge up that would fit the child. But they would have to hurry, time was running short as it was, and it did not bother to stop for anyone.

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><p>Watanuki had already been waiting for her in the garden by the time she had returned; the child clinging to her hand as she lead her outside to wait for the others. She was now fully dressed in a simple, long sleeved, hooded white tunic that was, maybe, a size too big but fit well enough around the shoulders and a pair of gray capris the child herself had dug up from one of the many piles of unworn clothing littering Maru and Moro's room. There was a pair of brown flats on her feet, and her hair was quickly plastered to her face in just a few moments of standing in the rain.<p>

"Yuuko-san!" The greeting was answered with a quirked eyebrow as the younger, more easily frazzled boy ran up to greet her, one hand clinging to an umbrella while the other held his school bag. Yuuko said nothing, instead handing the child off to her charge as Maru ran up and took the bag to be deposited in the shop. "Wha-?" he questioned, confusion clear on his face as he looked down at the little girl now clinging onto him instead, eyes focused on nothing but air and thoughts, if any existed, unclear and hidden. "Yuuko-san? Who is this?"

"A customer," the witch answered simply, before walking forward into the rain, turning her gaze upward to the sky. "Watanuki, stay behind me, and make sure that child does not wander off."

"But what's going on?"

"_They _are coming." And as if those words were some sort of signal, the sky distorted suddenly, sinking towards the ground as if something heavy had been dropped onto it. It quickly gave way under whatever weight had burdened it, a young boy with brown hair and eyes to match desperately clinging to the clearly unconscious body of the young girl in his arms.

"Are-Are you the Space-Time Witch?" The boy asked suddenly, panic clearly showing from where he sat, kneeling in the grass as the witch's feet.

"I have been called that," Yuuko answered, expression giving nothing away as she eyed the boy before her.

"Would you… Please! I need you to save Sakura!"

"This child's name is Sakura, isn't it?" she asked in response, slowly approaching the boy, before lowering herself carefully to the ground.

"Yes!"

"And yours?"

"I'm Syaoran." The witch did nothing for a moment, raising a hand to the girl's forehead, the limb glowing for a moment before it faded completely.

"This child… has lost something very precious."

"Yes…"

"And that something has been scattered to many different worlds. If nothing is done… This child will die." At that last part, the boy, Syaoran, quickly grew more concerned, his grip tightening on the girl even more than before.

Throughout all this, the other child, the younger customer, stood by Watanuki, staring emotionlessly at the scene unfolding before her.

"Watanuki," She called, the boy all but jumping out of his skin at being addressed so unexpectedly. "Go to our treasure room, there is something I need you to bring back." He called out a stammered "yes" in response before Maru and Moro showed up, dragging him off and leaving the little girl standing there by herself. Yuuko motioned for her to come closer waiting for the child to stop at her side before addressing Syaoran. "You wish to save this child?" She asked finally, ignoring the feeling that came when the youngest of the group before her now grabbed onto the sleeve of her dress.

"Yes!" He responded immediately, no hesitation in his voice as he met the witch's gaze dead on.

"There _is_ a price. Are you still willing?"

"I will pay _any _price I can!" Further conversation was cut short as a sharp keening noise was heard. Yuuko couldn't help but smirk at it, completely expected for her, but probably a shock for the boy currently kneeling before her.

"Here they come." She mentioned quietly, not caring if Syaoran heard her or not. The girl still clinging to her turned her own gaze upward, before dropping it to the ground left of Syaoran as if she knew exactly where _something _would appear. Just as expected, the ground rose up and the sky dipped once again, before both gave way to two very contrasting appearances. A tall, lithe man with blonde hair and clad in a white robe stood to one side, while a dark, burly man covered in the garb of a warrior stood to the other. Both's expressions were serious, though the one clad in nothing but black looked ready to murder something. It was largely ignored by the youngest though, the child finally letting go of her arm to stand near Syaoran, though her presence in the garden did not go ignored by any of the new occupants.

"Who the hell are you?!"-"Are you the Dimension Witch?" The two questions were shot at her at the same time in voices just as contrasting as the respective speakers appearance.

"Please give me your names first." She requested, hand held out as the warrior finally stood up on his feet, glaring at everything around him as if it were a threat. And considering his past, it probably was in his mind.

"Me? I'm Kurogane. What is this place?"

"It's called Japan."

"What? My country's called Japan."

"Yes, a different Japan. And you?" The witch asked, turning her attention onto the white clad figure and away from the newly dubbed Kurogane, ignoring him as the man grumbled something along the lines of not understanding what she had said.

"The Wizard of Celes, Fai D. Flowright." The blonde one introduced himself, bowing towards the witch in a show of respect before righting himself again.

"Do you know where you are?"

"Yes…" He answered, pausing for a bit before going onto explain, "A place where any wish can be granted if a suitable price is paid." He answered the question,

"That's exactly it." Yuuko confirmed, that she knew it was needless, "And so… The reason why all of you are here… is because each of you has a wish."

"My home world…" Both started off at the same time, almost making it sound like their wishes would be the same, though Yuuko knew that they couldn't be farther apart if they had tried.

"Is where I want to be."-"Where I don't want to be."

"That is a tall order," Yuuko interrupted before a fight could break out between the warrior and the wizard, the former of who was glaring daggers at the other as if he fully expected him to catch fire soon enough. It was probably one of many wishes Kurogane was accumulating in his head in a very short amount of time, but the rest were being ignored for far more important matters. "For both of you… No, all _three _of you... Perhaps… Even if you were to offer the most precious things you own, it would still not be enough. But together, combined with the price of _that _child's wish," she said, pointing at the youngest of the group standing before her, they turned their gazes onto her for a split second, Fai's eyes in particular narrowing as he caught something decidedly off about the little girl, before ignoring her for the witch instead. "You all may just be able to afford it." She finished, eyes not giving away anything aside from a barely hidden glint of mischief.

"Oh?" Fai questioned, his gaze drifting over to the youngest in the group before bringing it back towards the witch.

"What kind of crap are you spouting?" Kurogane barked out, a vicious growl leaving his lips as he questioned the witch.

"Mr. Black? Can you keep insults down a tad?"

"I'm NOT Mr. Black!" At the nickname, he immediately snapped, teeth bared like an angry beast at the foreign wizard, hand already twitching towards the blade that lay sheathed at his side.

"All four of your wishes are the same," The witch interrupted once again to prevent a fight, she did not need anyone swinging magic and swords around her shop just yet. "You want to go to many worlds in order to restore this child's memories." She began explaining, not giving anyone a chance to interrupt as she pointed to Syaoran and the girl known as Sakura, "You want to return to your world." She continued, turning her attention to Kurogane, before focusing on Fai "You want to go to different worlds to avoid returning to your own. And you," she paused, finally coming to the last of her customers. "You wish to travel to many worlds in order to see _it_." Yuuko knew exactly what _it _was, even if her customer held no clear idea of it herself, aside from a vague wish rooted so deeply into her soul it was the only thing that the child was sure of aside from her own name.

"You all have different wishes, but the means are the same. Travel to different dimensions,_ that_ is what you need." She said, eying them all and watching for any additional reactions to her words. "Individually you cannot make that wish happen. However if the four of you combine payment for one wish, then you can afford it."

Kurogane's eyes narrowed in suspicion as he eyed the black haired witch, mistrust clear in his posture, "And what is my payment?" He asked finally, the sharpness of a blade in his words and the viciousness of an animal reflecting from red eyes the color of blood. Yuuko's expression didn't change from it's cool aloofness, eyes steady despite facing down the experienced soldier.

"Your sword." She answered finally, the corner of her lips twisting into an amused smirk as the other immediately snapped at her for the mere suggestion that he would so easily part with such a valued blade. But that was why it was the price he had to pay after all, the blade, though not the original, was still very precious to the soldier. The sentimental value it held would definitely make up for his own portion, the most important question though was not whether or not he would give it up in order to return home, but just how difficult he would be in the regards to the matter.

"I'll never sell Ginryû!" he quickly snapped in response, not even giving his words a second thought as he glared at the witch as if she'd just asked him to use the blade to slice off his own hand and hand _that _over instead. Yuuko didn't flinch though, a wicked smirk becoming very apparent in her expression as her eyes shined with barely hidden mischief. She easily got into Kurogane's space, one hand on her hip as she pointed a finger at his chest, tone mocking him as she spoke.

"Fine!" She started, tone far too cheerful considering the situation, "Instead you will wander this world looking like a costume-contest loser, and get picked up by the police for carrying on illegal sword, and get plastered all over the TV for being a freak! Is that what you want?" Several of her words confused the soldier, the man trying to pronounce them as if repetition would finally give the words some sort of meaning in his head. "You realize that you are trapped here, and_ I _am the only person in the world who can get you out?"

"That's got to be a lie!" He bit back, disbelief clear in his expression. Magic was probably a sort of rarity in his world, own only by a select, privileged few, but it still probably led to a concrete belief that the witch before him was not the only one with such powers. Fai raised both of his hands to his mouth, making it seem as if he were going to yell as he put his own two cents into the conversation.

"It's true!" He called out to the warrior, expression jovial as he watched the man flounder in response to that information.

"What will you do?" Yuuko asked, interrupting the two as Fai snickered to himself. Kurogane swore loudly, snapping his sword back into its sheath and shoving the blade into the witch's face, his anger clear in his eyes as he glared the witch down.

"When I am free from this curse, I am coming back for it!" He declared, grumbling silently to himself while the witch turned her attention to the wizard.

"Your price… is your marking." She said, expression serious once again as she turned to face the blonde man. Shock was clear on Fai's face for a moment, the very edges of disbelief making themselves at home before it melted into an expression of nervous reticence, a bashful smile on his face.

"I don't suppose this will do?" he asked, holding up the staff in his arms to show what he meant.

The witch shook her head in response, "It won't." She paused eying the staff as if to catalogue its existence for later before returning her gaze to the wizard. "I told you, the price is the thing you value most."

Fai sighed, resignation clear in his expression as he consented to the witch's demands. "I guess I have no choice then." And he squirmed slightly, the magic that paraded the shop pulling at the tattoo that lay imprinted on his back before it came off completely, landing in the witch's hands.

Yuuko nodded, pleased at the easier time she had dealing with the other magic user, before turning her attention to Syaoran, "What about you?" She asked, watching the boy clutch worriedly at the young girl that was so important to him he'd been willing to leave the only home he'd ever known behind in order to save her. "Now is the time to hand over your item of highest value. And you will be able to travel the worlds."

"Fine!" he said, not a single ounce of hesitation to be found in his voice.

"You realize that I haven't named the price yet." She stated, more than asked, watching the boy's expression change and shift as the conversation continued.

"Yes!"

"The only thing I can do is send you to other worlds, finding the child's memories is something _you_ will have to do." There was a brief pause, but the boy's expression never lost the determination so firmly etched into it.

"Fine!" Yuuko couldn't help the proud smile that arose at his response, and tilted her head to the side in consideration.

"I like your attitude," she commented idly, turning her gaze onto the entrance to the shop as Watanuki finally came storming out of the doors, hands full with Maru and Moro not far behind him. The twin girls took Kurogane and Fai's price into their hands, holding onto it as Watanuki handed the white bundle over to the witch, keeping the black one to himself. "The name of this young one is Mokona Modoki. Mokona will lead you through the worlds." She explained, the white one waving in greeting at the customers, the black one following its twin's example.

"Hey, you got an extra, give it to me." Kurogane ordered, holding out a hand towards Watanuki. The boy fretted for a bit, before Yuuko stepped in, pointing to the black one and then the white one as she began to explain.

"No, that's how we keep in contact. The only power this one has is to stay in communication with Mokona, it cannot traverse the worlds." Grinning slightly to herself as she watched the soldier pout at that, she continued, "Mokona will take you to different dimensions, but there is no way to control which dimension. For that reason, only fate will decide when your wishes will be granted." She shifted her hold on Mokona as she explained all this, allowing the creature to balance itself on the palm of her hand as she went on in her explanation. "However, there is no coincidence in the world. What is there is '_hitsuzen'._ And what brought you all together… was also_ hitsuzen_." She finally turned her gaze onto Syaoran.

"Syaoran, your price is… your relationship." She finally said, expression never changing, "The thing you value the most… is your relationship with her. So that is your price."

"My price? ...But how-"

"Even if… this child's memories are completely restored, your relationship with her will never be the same again." She said, answering his question before he could fully get it out. "So what is she to you?" Yuuko asked, watching as the boy's expression twisted with emotion.

"A childhood friend… and the princess of a country… and… And a girl who is precious to me!"

"…I see." She said idly, expression almost solemn in its appearance before she continued on, "however…. If you want to accept Mokona, that relationship will end. Even if you retrieve all of her memories, the one memory that you will never retrieve will be her memory of you. That is my price, will you still pay it?" She asked, watching the boy as he looked down at the girl in his arms, before his gaze shot up to the witch, eyes burning with determination.

"Let's go!" He said, voice lacking any sort of hesitation. "I will not let Sakura die!"

"Wait a minute Witch, what about this kid! You've told us all our prices, what about her?!" The soldier suddenly bit out, jabbing a finger in the direction of the little girl that had been standing silently near Syaoran the whole entire time. The others turned to face her as well, though the child didn't flinch at all at the sudden attention she was receiving, Yuuko quickly drew theirs back to her.

"That child has already paid her price." She said, causing both the wizard and soldier to quirk their eyebrows in confusion, silently asking her for an explanation she did not give. "Travel between the words is more difficult than you imagine. There are a variety of worlds, for example… The worlds these two come from." She stopped, gesturing slightly towards Fai and Kurogane. "You can tell just from their clothes, can't you? Both of them come from different worlds than yours." She went on to explain, "People you know, people you've met on your world… They've developed under completely different conditions on other worlds. You may meet different versions of the same person time after time on different worlds, and just because that person is nice to you on one world doesn't mean they will be in the next. You'll find worlds where you can't communicate, where even common sense doesn't work. Scientific development, standards of living, the very laws all change with the world. There are worlds of liars, constant war, even ones full of hardened, dangerous criminals. And you must live through them all. This will be a journey in which you won't know where you are nor how close you are to collecting all of the fractured pieces of memory." She finished, a sudden ethereal air around her, and a gentle smile on her face.

"That being said… Are you still determined to see it through?"

"Yes!"

Yuuko couldn't help but laugh, a gentle sound as a sudden wind picked up, causing her dress and hair to fly about her. "Sincerity and determination, no matter what a person wants to attempt, those are needed, and it seems that you are well provided with both." She said, pride clear in her expression as the white creature began to float in the air above her palm, a pair of large wings appearing from its back and a magic circle appearing below its feet. "And so… You may go."

There was a huge flurry of wind and sound suddenly, everyone's gaze immediately landing on the strange creature as its mouth opened wide, seemingly sucking them all in. They vanished, finally, turning into what looked and felt like the wind before the creature closed its mouth and bowed its head, vanishing much the same as the others had, and taking the rain with it.

"I wish, you all the best of fortune on your journey." She said, the sun shining bright on her face.

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><p>AN. So what do you guys think? I was going to make it a little longer, but I decided to stop here for now. Next chapter is the first of the Hanshin Republic. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, and thanks for reading! See ya!


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